I have been riding a bike since I was two (well I learnt how to ride a bike then and started to really race in under 14). Thinking back now I was a bit naive, to think bike racing was all about putting your hands in the air. I have come to learn that it does happen if you put the work in, but it’s not the only part of it. There are a lot of setbacks and obstacles to overcome in the journey of cycling. The injuries, crashes, and mentally hard times. Every cyclist has gone through these at some point if you race a bike at any level.
I just wanted to talk about my experiences of this and the struggles that I believe most cyclists go through. There has been occasions where my pride of finishing a race or training session has got in the way of common sense like when I know there is a chance that I am going to get ill after racing/training but I do it anyway just because I want to prove to myself that I am hard and can push myself through. However, every time I do this I kick myself afterwards because nine times out of ten I have not listened to what was the right thing to do as I normally get ill and take many more days off the bike than I would have If I had just rested and gone again the next day. But for some reason I find it really hard.
I have been watching the Giro the last few weeks and it has also helped me to watch all the challenges that the pros go through - they have many of the same issues with crashes, injuries etc. They must have to continually work on their mindset and looking after themselves to live that life.
This is my advice if you're ever on the line about racing or training because you think you're going to get ill, don’t train, take a day off and watch your favourite series on Netflix!
